Ashley Hatch’s Journey to Starting on the USWNT

December 6, 2021
By Rachel Gonzalez

The USWNT lineup has seen quite a few changes recently, giving the spotlight to a ton of fresh new faces. However, Ashley Hatch made the biggest splash of all in the match against Australia by scoring 24 seconds in, making UWSNT history as the third-fastest goal ever.

Taking Carli Lloyd’s former position as a center striker for this friendly, Hatch could not have made a better showing in the first friendly against Australia. She then followed it up in the second friendly by scoring the team’s only goal for the match, in only the fourth minute.

The buzz around this new name is growing, so here is what we know about this rising star.

Division 1 Soccer at BYU

Ashley Hatch started in Gilbert, Arizona, playing for Arizona Soccer Association, and has now become one of three women from this program to join the USWNT roster. The two who came before her are Julie Ertz and Jessica McDonald.

Hatch attended BYU and was a fixture on the team from the beginning. She started in all 21 of her freshman year games, then broke the record of shots in one match in her sophomore year.

During her junior year, she returned from injury to be named Best Player in the West Coast in 2015 and 2016. She tied for the program’s fifth-highest scorer with 18 goals and was a semi-finalist for the Hermann Trophy.

Professional Career: From the US to Australia

Hatch was selected for the North Carolina Courage in the 2017 NWSL draft and named Rookie of the Year and a recipient of the NWSL Shield, all in the same year.

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Hatch spent the 2017-2018 season on loan to the W-League in Australia, during which time she scored twice and helped Melbourne City defend their title as champions for the third consecutive year.

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Since 2018, she has been playing for the Washington Spirit after being traded alongside another teammate for Crystal Dunn. This year Hatch won the Golden Boot, having scored ten times in the regular season for the Spirit.

USWNT Call Ups

Ashley Hatch has earned her spot as a starter throughout her career and proved herself as a reliable goal scorer. She is an absolutely deadly striker, a keen foot to have on the ball whether it’s for goal scoring or assisting, and an incredibly hard battler who creates opportunities.

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Hatch made her USWNT debut in 2016 and was called up again in 2018. Although she hasn’t had a reliable spot on the roster thus far, her performance in Australia could change that. Hatch proved herself to be a great candidate, with coach Vlatko Andonovski looking to bring in new and younger players.

In just four years with the NWSL, she has won just about every honor an individual player can. And, in only four international caps with the USWNT, she’s already making history.

Friendlies are a great time to showcase new talent and test out new lineups, and these matches against Australia have exposed the world to exactly what Ashely Hatch can do—and how fast she can do it.

Hatch has a blindingly bright future ahead of her, and we are thrilled to watch as her journey unfolds.

Featured image Getty Images